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Making his second start for Cardiff City, Peter Odemwingie scored his first goal for his new club, but Cardiff lose at home to Newcastle United 1-2.

The goal came with Newcastle controlling the match but Odemwingie's goal made things interesting in the final half hour. It was a teamwork goal that involved Aron Gunnarsson charging down the left flank, laying off a nice pass to Jordan Mutch who then flicked on a touch pass to Odemwingie who slotted home. Odemwingie is past his prime at this point, but if his form begins to emerge, then he could be a possible budget 3rd striker option in the right matchup.

The FA confirmed that Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino has been cleared after allegations of making a racist comment.

The issue at hand arose during Liverpool's 2-1 win against rival Everton in the FA Cup at the beginning of January. After the match, Everton defender Mason Holgate alleged that Firmino made a racist comment to him during an altercation. But after a lengthy review, the FA cleared the Brazilian of any wrongdoing, making him available to face West Ham this weekend. "Having considered all of the available evidence, we consider it is not sufficient to raise a charge against Firmino," said the FA in a statement. "However, we are completely satisfied that the allegation was made in absolute good faith by Holgate and that there is no suggestion of this being an intentionally false or malicious allegation."

Everton officially announced the signing of midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye to a new contract through summer of 2022.

The central midfielder has started all but three Premier League matches this season for the Toffees and has made 64 appearances for the side since arriving from Aston Villa in the summer of 2016. The 28-year-old, who is preparing for his first World Cup this summer with Senegal, is second in the Premier League in tackles this season with 85, a welcome stat in advance metric fantasy leagues. Said manager Sam Allardyce: "I’m really pleased that Idrissa has signed a new deal at the Club. He’s been terrific since I’ve been here and it’s fantastic for the Club. I love his attitude, the way he enjoys his football, the dedication and focus with which he trains every day and always with a smile on his face. It’s great that he’s committed long-term to Everton and he will enjoy some of his best football here in the years ahead."

Mesut Ozil faces a race against time to be fit for this weekends Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was speaking ahead of his sides Europa League second-leg tie versus Ostersunds FK on Thursday night, and the Gunners boss provided a mixed injury update. Aaron Ramsey has made a timely return to the training pitches, and despite reports to the contrary, the Wales international still has a chance of making the squad. "He had a good training session but [his fitness] is a bit short. We’ll see how his evolution goes. I don’t rule him out yet, it depends how well he can improve his intensity," said Wenger. Alexandre Lacazette is also ahead in terms of his recovery from knee surgery which could see him return in early March. Mesut Ozil "should" be okay for the final having just re-joined the squad, the German playmaker was bed-ridden on Monday and Tuesday in what was his 6th reported illness within the past year [the most reported of any Premier League player].

Alfie Mawson has returned to full training for Swansea City ahead of their weekend match against Brighton, following a knee injury that the club feared would cause the defender to miss significant time.

Mawson has had an ongoing knock in his knee and it flared up on him in the warmups before Swansea's FA Cup tilt against Sheffield Wednesday. The Swans, who are moving in the right direction in the PL table, dodged a bullet though after a visit with a specialist and and MRI revealed no significant damage. Mawson is vital to the cause, having a breakout season and has yet to miss a minute of action. With several fixtures upcoming against sides in the bottom half of the table, he will be raring to get back on the pitch. He still carries a probable tag until Carlos Carvalhal's presser but Mawson owners can breathe a sigh of relief.

Sergio Aguero will not face retrospective action from the Football Association following his altercation with a supporter during the aftermath of Mondays FA Cup defeat at Wigan.

Television footage appeared to show the Manchester City striker pushing a supporter as fans descended onto the pitch at the final whistle. Aguero claims he was verbally abused and spat at by the Wigan fan, an incident which is being investigated by Greater Manchester Police, while the Argentine is said to be considering legal action for common assault. Both sides have been charged with failing to control their players after Fabian Delph was sent off, a decision which resulted in a heated argument between Pep Guardiola and opposing boss Paul Cook. However, the Football Association announced on Tuesday that no disciplinary action will be taken against individual players or staff. They have until 6pm on Friday February 23 to respond while both clubs have been asked to provide their observations following the crowd trouble at the end of the game.

Ramiro Funes Mori is closing in on a return to first-team action after stepping up his recovery from a serious knee injury.

The Everton defender has enjoyed a couple of run outs for the under-23s this month and has taken to Instagram to confirm his availability. "Ready to play for the Blues" having missed the last 11 months. The group have just enjoyed a hugely successful warm-weather training camp in Dubai and the return of Funes Mori provides a welcome boost following the news that Manchester City loanee Eliaquim Mangala looks to be sidelined "long term" due to a serious knee ligament injury. Phil Jagielka has also been absent in recent weeks due to an unspecified problem while Sam Allardyce confirmed the Toffees are trying to get Seamus Coleman back as quickly as possible following a minor muscular tweak. Leighton Baines has entered the final phase of his rehab and will be back in contention very soon after spending more than 3 months out due to a calf strain.

Tom Heaton is nearing a return to action after completing 90 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Gawthorpe on Tuesday.

The Burnley goalkeeper has been sidelined since dislocating his shoulder during the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace back in September – an injury which threatened to end his season after undergoing surgery. Heaton is expected to be back in first-team contention very soon as he enters the final phase of his rehabilitation. However, the 31-year-old, who is still hoping to be included in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, faces stiff competition from his deputy Nick Pope following a string of impressive performances. Midfielder Dean Marney was also included having recovered from a medial knee ligament injury while Chris Wood managed 70 minutes having missed the last nine matches. Nahki Wells and Tottenham loanee Georges-Kevin N’Koudou were given a run out by Sean Dyche as they look to maintain fitness having found their first team opportunities limited recently.

Willian struck first but Lionel Messi scored an equalizer as Chelsea drew 1-1 with Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at Stamford Bridge.

Eden Hazard start as a false No.9 with Pedro and Willian up front in a 3-4-3 formation, as Antonio Conte named strikers Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud to the bench. Barcelona controlled the majority of possession while Willian went extremely close to breaking the deadlock twice in the first half, but struck the woodwork on both attempts. With the match goalless after the restart, Brazilian found the breakthrough with a low curled strike from the edge of the penalty area. However, Conte's side were in the lead for just 13 minutes. Andres Iniesta collected an errant pass from Andreas Christensen inside the Chelsea box and feed Lionel Messi, who slotted a clinical strike past Courtois. The result means Barcelona hold an away goal advantage heading into the second leg at the Nou Camp on March 14th.

Fabian Delph will miss this weekend’s Carabao Cup final following his dismissal at the DW Stadium.

The Citizens suffered only their third defeat of the season – all competitions – in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday night as League One promotion hopefuls Wigan overcame the odds to book their place in the quarters-finals. City dominated possession throughout, even after they went down to 10 men, but failed to create any clear-cut chances. Delph received a straight red for a tackle on Max Power which will keep him out of the next three domestic matches. "It was an unnecessary action and the referee decided what he decided," fumed Guardiola after the game. "I'm not here to judge. It can be a red. We have to learn." The defeat extinguishes any hope of completing the quadruple while Pep will need to consider his options at left-back with Benjamin Mendy [ACL knee] still on the sidelines. Danilo is best placed deputise.

The Spanish international has missed the last two Premier League games after suffering a hamstring injury followed by an ankle problem in training. But Alonso has been cleared to return to face Barcelona in the first leg of the round of 16, a match the former Real Madrid academy product is sure to relish. However, Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is unlikely to face the defending Champions League winners. "Yes, he will be fit," Conte said in a prematch press conference. "I don’t think Bakayoko. Alonso is ready to play."

Manchester United could face Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday evening with up-to eight first-team players missing.

Following his sides FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town on Saturday, manager Jose Mourinho explained that several squad members were forced to miss out at the Kirklees Stadium because of injury. "I brought two kids [Ethan Hamilton and Angel Gomes] that played 90 minutes yesterday [for the U23s] because I don’t have another player," he said. "Can we recover some of them for Wednesday? I believe so. Marcus Rashford, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia, I think they have a chance. Paul [Pogba], I don’t know," although the latter was seen in training on Sunday. However, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones will definitely miss the clash due to unspecified knocks while Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimović have not yet recovered from their respective knee injuries.